Is Artificial Intelligence Making Your Resume Sound the Same As Everyone Else’s?
I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of career coaches recently. In a job search market that may be the worst that I have seen in my 15 years of coaching, our purpose was to discuss ways we could better help our clients navigate the job search process. One of the first topics we explored was resume development. In the job market of 2025, there is a predominance of resumes that are developed, (whether by job applicants or resume services), with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. While I develop the resumes I do for clients without aid of such tools, many have become drawn to this approach for different reasons.
Some have difficulty formulating how to present themselves in writing, so using a tool where one provides descriptive words about themselves and having the tool develop a resume for them is a comforting item. For others, they have heard of how much that resumes when entered into online job applications go up against computer screening tools, (called BOTS), that are looking to compare what is provided on the resume, versus the job requirements that are posted for the position. Therefore, as a next step off that, job seekers, (and resumes writing services that tend to use automated tools), will put the job description into an artificial intelligence tool, to ensure one’s new resume that is being developed has the key skills and words found in the job description posted. Still others, after countless rejections where the resumes they submit are rejected very quickly, are desperate to find any approach that may get them even an initial interview with a hiring company.
As career coaches our circle of professionals also often includes talent acquisition, human resources professionals and job search recruiters. And, the world of artificially intelligence generated resumes, insistence of companies that they be the screeners of the job openings which they have, and the ease at which it is to “post a resume” to an application online has them extremely frustrated. Often as coaches we will hear of the fact that a talent acquisition person could look at 10 resumes, and they are just about all exactly alike, (down to the wording they are saying). Additionally, they have called individuals in for screening interviews to see if they are strong candidates for a job role, and find out that there are times where they never did the type of work that the resume is describing that they have done. Once the resume is completed, it is also obvious that there is little to no revamping done by the job applicant to add their own personal story and accomplishments to the resume.
So, what is one as a job searcher to do about all of this? As I indicated earlier, I am not one who has moved to automated tools in developing a resume for them. Admittedly some of my colleagues have. However, whatever our approach, we do look to get to know the client. What have they accomplished in their past jobs? How can we help them bring out those accomplishments that describe the challenge they faced, the actions they were involved taking, and the positive result for the organization for which they worked? We will get a sense of the type of roles for which they are applying and look to select those accomplishments and skills that appear to be important to that role, and include them on the resume. Additionally, we will suggest to the client to be willing to take the steps of learning about the job for which they are looking to apply and add in those items that they may have omitted for one job position, and at the same time remove those items that may not be as important. In short, even with the greatest computer-generated tools in the world, there needs to be human interaction in getting to the product that will represent you best for this specific opportunity.
One last thing we discussed as coaches, (in addition to the benefit of us continuing to meet to help support each other as we support those in search). Even in a world becoming continually automated, the need for humans to connect to other humans in a work environment is not disappearing. That is why while online posting tends to be successful for about 5 to 10% of the candidates found in job search, candidates working through recruiters, networking with former colleagues to learn of opportunities and individuals just reaching out to companies and presenting themselves, still lead to most of the successful job stories we as coaches hear. Are those last 3 approaches easy? NO! Are they something that are going away in search anytime soon? NO! Therefore, use the tools that may be available as an aid, but remember you are still showing what you can bring to an organization to help them meet their needs.
